Letter to the Swedish Presidency and EU Environmental Ministers opposing their decision to eliminate access to justice provisions from the Nature Restoration Law

On 27 March 27, ClientEarth and EU NGOs sent a letter to the Swedish Presidency and Member States’ Environmental Ministers ahead of the Council’s Working Party on the Environment meeting on 28 March 28. From a Presidency’s Note, previously leaked to the press, we were informed of the Swedish Presidency’s decision to remove an access to justice provision from the Commission’s proposal of the Nature Restoration Regulation. We believe that, in the absence of a comprehensive provision on access to justice that fulfils the standards set by the Aarhus Convention, judicial recourse for improper implementation of the Nature Restoration Regulation will be inadequate, leading to violations of EU citizens’ fundamental rights and poor enforcement of EU environmental legislation. In this short NGO letter, we provide a series of arguments as to why an Article on access to justice in the operative parts of the law is imperative.